Salvation
by dlmalfoys
Summary: "At this time in war, all we have is ourselves. We're the only ones who can save each other," Hermione said weakly. Draco nodded slowly in assent. He understood it now. She was the salvation he was looking for, and he hers.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Sadly, I never owned Harry Potter.

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><p><strong>SALVATION - A Dramione Fanfic<strong>

"At this time in war, all we have is ourselves. We're the only ones who can save each other," Hermione said weakly.

Draco nodded slowly in assent. He understood it now.

She was the salvation he was looking for, and he hers.

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>

Confusion.

If Draco Malfoy could bottle up all his feelings right now, he'd sum it all up in that one word. He didn't know what to do, what to say, or what was to become of him.

His recent failure to follow his Master's command was not something the Dark Lord was likely to forgive. Being chosen for the task was a heady thing, he knew. Killing Albus Dumbledore was supposed be his first and greatest feat yet as a Death Eater. But he had failed. Severus Snape had to take over the task because of his 'softness,' as his companions called it.

"What say you to a bet? Twenty galleons, I say he won't last ten minutes inside the Dark Lord's room," he heard Amycus Carrow whisper to Fenrir Greyback.

Fenrir chuckled. "Deal. But I'm telling you, I'm betting he won't last five."

Draco wanted to punch a wall. Yes, a wall. He was a Death Eater and all, but he knew he wouldn't stand five seconds in a duel with a veteran like Carrow nor would he be able to manage a go at Greyback without getting bitten.

He sighed. As the world seemed so eager to punish him, there was no wall in sight. Instead, he vented all his anger on the nearest object by his feet, which was an old and bent tin can. He kicked it as strongly as he could, hoping he would hit either of the two men.

Their little company of Death Eaters walked on, and Draco was a bit surprised as to why they haven't Apparated yet. He was about to ask when someone pulled him from behind. Before he knew it, he was taken into a thick patch of wood, away from his companions. He could hear Bellatrix Lestrange's distant cackle.

"Get off," he growled, his hand reaching into the pocket of his robes for his wand.

"Draco, it's just me," Snape said. Draco watched as his old Professor took out his wand and muttered an Imperturbable Charm.

Draco unclenched. "What do you want?"

"You have to leave. Now." Snape wasn't a fan of beating around the bush. "The Dark Lord will not forgive you for this. He'll kill you."

Draco let out a snort. "Yeah, I know that."

"You don't seem worried at all."

"Maybe it's because I don't have anything left to live for."

Snape frowned. "What about Narcissa? Don't you think it matters to her if you died?"

"She never cared for me." _At least she never showed she did_, Draco thought.

"Listen, Draco. I made the Unbreakable Vow. I swore to protect you with every inch of my life. Now, if I disobey, I might as well just die too."

"You're more than welcome to join me if you'd like."

Snape cocked an eyebrow. He seemed irritated. "I'm not interested in dying at the moment."

"Then what do you suppose we should do? No one can evade the Dark Lord. Even if I do manage escape he'll be able to track me down."

"You forget that I am the Dark Lord's most trusted servant. I always have a plan," Snape replied, his eye twinkling in the dark night.

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><p>"I'll have to fake your death."<p>

Draco looked stunned. "Fake my death - what? That's insane!"

"But not impossible. There is a potion that mimics death, but only puts the drinker in an unconscious state."

"Like the Draught of Living Death, you mean?" Draco asked.

"No. That can really kill you; this one won't." Snape took out a small crystal vial filled with fluid of a green mist swirling around black substance. He gave the phial to Draco, who took it between his index finger and thumb.

"Wait. I won't really die, correct?" Snape nodded. "So how will I wake up?" Draco weighed the phial in his hand. It was light, close to holding nothing.

"The plan is this: I am positive that the Dark Lord will not facilitate your death; you're too unimportant_._" _Ouch._ Draco had opened his mouth to speak but Snape gave him a stern look to silence him. "I knew you couldn't kill the Headmaster, so I had to make a contingency plan.

"The Dark Lord does not know of this potion yet; I have only recently devised this. I did tell him, however, that I made a special poison and wanted to test it on you, should you be unsuccessful. He gave me permission to do so, but what he doesn't know is that once I give you this potion, it will only render you unconscious.

"But that's not all. This potion will freeze your heart, thus stopping your heartbeat. That way if he does check, he will believe that you _are_ dead. There is an antidote to this, but it must be given within the next half-hour, or else, your heart will freeze permanently and you _will_ die, so it is crucial that you follow whatever I say right now."

Draco was silent throughout his explanation. Finally, he said, "Sounds dangerous. What do I have to do?"

Snape smiled furtively. "First, we have to get back to the others. We will return to the Manor. Then when the Dark Lord calls all of us together in the dining hall, we wait.

"He will ask you to explain yourself, all the while you will probably be put under the Cruciatus, and after doing so, he would call me in and tell me to kill you. He'd probably stay and watch, but he won't do it himself.

"After your death, he will tell me to dispose of your body; I will levitate you outside, and once we are completely alone, I will give you the antidote. Once you awake, you are to your appearance as thoroughly as possible, and then Apparate right away to the Leaky Cauldron.

"After that, ask Tom for the room reserved under my name, and you are to stay there tonight. I will knock on your door at exactly seven in the morning. Your belongings will be there waiting for you, as well as other things you might need. If you don't mind, I took all the money you have in your Gringotts account and transferred it to your safehouse – it won't be very safe for you to have a traceable account at Gringotts right now. I will tell you further instructions tomorrow morning, but I must tell you this…" Snape looked at Draco with a serious look on his features.

"We are to be careful because if anyone discovers our plan, both of us will die, understand?"

Draco looked amused. "You seem to know the Dark Lord really well; I'm surprised you're not on a first-name basis," he chortled. "But the plan seems simple enough. I'm sure we can follow through if things happen accordingly."

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><p>At ten minutes to seven the next day, Draco was pacing back and forth in his room. All his things were ready – his trunk was packed and his moneybag was safely stashed inside it.<p>

At exactly seven o'clock, three knocks rapped on his door; Draco lunged for the doorknob.

Severus Snape came in, the stealthy smile back on his face. "I'm impressed." Draco scowled in response. "The disguise would have fooled me if I didn't know."

It _was_ still Draco of course. But he had turned his hair a sandy shade of brown and made it shaggier, eyes a brilliant blue, and nose a little bit bent, like he'd just been in a fight. He hated the ugly transformation, but seeing as it would only be a matter of time before he would have to lift it, Draco decided to be patient. But that didn't mean he would keep the scowling to a minimum.

He chuckled darkly as he closed the door. "What are the rest?" he asked conversationally.

"You'll be staying in the Muggle world," Snape told him coolly. "I have a house there; it was the place I grew up in. Small, but enough to shelter you – if you want you can cast an Engorgement Charm to make the inside bigger."

"A Muggle house?" Draco asked, incredulous. "What makes you think I will live in a Muggle house?"

"You don't have another choice. Unless of course, you want to roam around the streets until you get discovered, then you are very much welcome to, but once you get caught, I will not vouch for you anymore."

The scowl came back, pulling the corners of Draco's mouth lower this time. "Where is this place?"

Snape gave him a piece of paper. There, it was written, was an address. _The house of the Half-Blood Prince is at 22 Castledore Road, Hexham_.

"I've cast the wards needed in case intruders find out. There's also a Fidelius Charm set upon the house – I'm Secret Keeper. But I'm transferring it to you once you are inside the house, just in case."

Draco knew the time was almost up. With a pang in his heart, he took in the look of his teacher one last time.

Severus Snape was the only father figure he had. He was the only person he admired and trusted. But for the past year Draco was horrible to him, shunning him away whenever he offered his help. If only he had listened to him, maybe all this wouldn't have happened.

"Professor," he began. Snape looked at him and tilted his head to the side, waiting. "Why are you helping me after all I've done to you?"

Snape considered for a moment. "I should say I'm helping you because I would die if I didn't, thanks to the Vow. But that's not all.

"I care about you, Draco. Your mother entrusted you to me, and I feel that it is my responsibility to vouch for you."

And with that, Severus Snape left.

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><p>Draco Apparated to Castledore Road immediately, and walked towards the alleyway between numbers twenty-one and twenty-three. No sooner had he thought the words, had the house emerged from the dark alley. The Muggles were completely oblivious to what just happened, and for this Draco was delighted. The lesser witnesses the better.<p>

He heaved his trunk towards the two-story building, all the while keeping the straight look on his face. He was itching to remove the disguise, as it was getting rather tempting to just get out his wand and change in the middle of the street.

As he entered the house, the lights flicked on by themselves. As soon as he was inside, he lifted the disguises and looked around. It seems that Draco need not put in an Engorgement Charm anymore – the house was big enough for one. The house too, was surprisingly tidy; Snape must have been there first to do some cleaning. He saw that two more trunks similar to what he was carrying were placed in the sitting room. Draco went to open them and saw that it was filled with more of his things – this time it carried all the clothes he had left at home. _Bless that man_, Draco thought.

He levitated the trunks upstairs to the first bedroom on the left, which he declared as his since it was very much Slytherin-inspired. If the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have laughed at the emerald walls that matched the beddings. Draco then pursued fixing his things from the trunks, but as he levitated one of his favorite cloaks to the closet, he heard a crack from downstairs. Used the sound of Apparition, Draco stopped at once and descended down to find out who the intruder was.

"Young Master Malfoy!" a familiar squeaky voice cried as soon as he was standing on the last step. Before he could make sense of what was happening, he felt small arms wrapping around his knees.

"Is that you, Nereus?" Draco asked in confusion. He looked down and saw the house elf nod in satisfaction. "But how did you get here?" he asked again.

"Master Severus showed Nereus how to find Young Master. He also told Nereus to give this to Young Master." The elf let go of Draco and handed him a letter.

Draco opened the envelope and read the contents of the parchment inside.

_I hope you are finding your new home well. I have sent your house elf to you, in the hope that he will help you in whatever you need. I have removed myself as Secret Keeper of the house and have transferred it to you. This is the last letter you will receive from me. I will not provide any more for you; you must survive now on your own._

Even without the signature, Draco knew who it was from. He looked down at the house elf at his feet, which was now smiling from ear to ear, and began to smile himself. At least his favorite house elf would be able to keep him company.

"Does Master Malfoy want anything from Nereus?" Nereus chirped.

"Well, Nereus first, get me an eagle owl from Diagon Alley. And I forbid you to tell anyone or anything about this place, do you understand?"

Nereus nodded happily and snapped his fingers to Disapparate.

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><p><strong>AN: **Sorry for the long prologue! Please review! I might set up Chapter 1 if I get some...

P.S. Some of you may have noticed... this is actually a revised version of _Redemption_.


	2. Offer

Disclaimer: Harry Potter was never mine. Only JK Rowling can be that awesome.

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><p><strong>SALVATION - A DRAMIONE FANFIC<strong>

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**CHAPTER 1 ~ OFFER**

Hermione Granger walked into the pub with a look that obviously said 'I want to leave now'.

"Give me whatever this can buy," she said quietly to the barman, handing him a slip. "And wrap it to go."

The barman huffed and went to the kitchen to fetch her order.

Fidgeting in her seat, Hermione thought about how Harry and Ron were doing back at the woods. She had Apparated to a random pub in the hope of getting them some food with the little amount of Muggle money she found on the street.

"Oh please, hurry up," she muttered as she placed the Muggle money on the table. Impatient, she tapped her fingers on the bar table and began humming a random tune.

"Well, well, well, look do we have here."

The voice was like a Stun to Hermione. She knew that icy voice. That was the voice that taunted her several times at Hogwarts, the voice that laughed at her when one of Fred and George Weasley's pranks exploded on her face and turned it into a human panda, the voice that called her a Mudblood in second year in front of the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams while its owner held a new racing broom.

That was the voice of Draco Malfoy.

She turned around, wand at the ready to fling a curse at him. But just then, the barman reappeared and placed a paper bag with her food in front of her.

"Hungry, aren't we?" Draco asked. He had taken the stool next to Hermione and was leaning on the table with his elbow.

"What are you planning to do with me, Malfoy?" she asked through seething teeth.

"Why, nothing. Didn't you know, I'm not a Death Eater anymore," he replied calmly. He raised his hand and whistled. "Hey, barman. Get me a beer, will you?"

Hermione watched with her mouth agape as Draco pulled out a Muggle bill and set it in front of him. He looked perfectly at ease, it was as if he was Muggle himself.

"I repeat, what are you going to do with me? Tell me now, or I'll hex you."

"Then I'll fight you off." Draco pulled out a black wand from his cloak pocket and grinned. "Didn't think I'd come quietly, did you?"

Hermione took the paper bag into her hands and got up to leave. _The sooner I get out of here, the better_, she thought. She walked out of the half-deserted pub and trudged off into the snow.

"Wait," a voice behind her called. She turned and saw Draco standing at the doorway.

"Keep walking. He's trying to get you alone. Once you're out of sight, Disapparate," Hermione told herself.

Hermione walked on, but stopped short when she heard a pop in front of her. Draco appeared and was smirking.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, growling every word.

"Easy there, Granger. I'm trying to help you."

Hermione was taken aback by his words. Draco Malfoy trying to help?

Draco must have sensed her confusion because he said, "Yes. Help. I know what you twits are looking for."

Hermione's mouth popped open. How did he know?

"Horcruxes, am I right?"

"It's none of your business," she managed to reply. She tried overtaking him, but he anticipated this and moved in front of her.

"Yes it is." He said this with conviction. "I want my revenge."

"Revenge for what?" she asked through gritted teeth. Why oh why, did she have to run into him in a random, half-deserted pub in the middle of nowhere?

"Well for one, _he_ killed my mother. And for another, _he _killed Snape." Draco's eyes turned darker. He seemed more evil than he was five minutes ago.

"_He?_ Who exactly is _he_?"

"You know. But don't say the name. It's tabooed. Once you say his name, his _followers_ will be able to track you down and kill you." Draco said the word 'followers' as if it was a swear word.

Hermione's eyes widened. So they can't say Voldemort anymore? Was that how the Death Eaters were able to catch them at that coffee shop at Tottenham Court Road? She could recall Harry using his name then…

"Take me with you. I can help you three. And I'll have my vengeance if he dies."

"Why should we take you in? You're a Death Eater!" Hermione cried.

"I told you, not anymore." Draco pulled back his sleeve, and there, Hermione saw, was a faded Mark. It was so light now; the outline of the Mark was the only thing left.

"But – "

"Yeah. I quitted after Dumbledore died. I couldn't do it, you see. And I escaped because he was going to kill me. Since then, I've decided his side isn't the way to live."

"We still won't!" Hermione caught her chance and walked on, taking her wand out to Apparate. As soon as she left the place, she felt him hold on to her.

"Let – me – go!" Hermione thrashed and kicked at him, but it was no use. His grip was so strong, she could feel his hands making bruises on her arm.

They stopped whirling. Hermione spotted their tent and ran.

But then she stopped. Why was Draco not chasing her? Where was he?

The animalistic cry of pain behind her took three seconds to process in her brain. She turned around.

There, lying on the forest floor at her feet, was Draco Malfoy writhing in pain. His leg was separated from his torso, bloodied and gruesome. Hermione felt a surge of pain in her gut. Quickly, she flung the paper bag aside and took out her purse.

"Accio, dittany!" she yelled. The vial she Summoned came into her hands at once, and she swiftly knelt beside Draco and poured its contents on his arms.

She heard voices approaching and figured that Harry and Ron must have seen her.

"'Mione, what's happened?" Ron yelled as he ran towards her.

"It's – it's – I'm so sorry! I went to buy us some food with the Muggle money I found and then – then he found me there and tried to tell me things – crazy things! I Disapparated hoping he'd leave me alone and then he – he grabbed hold of my arms and when I came here, he got splinched!"

Hermione felt tears stinging her eyes. Draco's leg was back in place, but he was still moaning in pain. Ron stood there, dumbstruck and became an unmoving statue of shock.

"How did he get here?" Harry asked with disbelieving eyes. "How the hell did Malfoy end up at our campsite?"

"I told you already! He was telling me things… crazy things, absolutely insane! Malfoy said he wasn't a Death Eater anymore and that _he_ killed Malfoy's mother and Snape too, so Malfoy wants revenge on _him_." Hermione was careful not to mention the name, which was almost slipping at the tip of her tongue as she narrated the story.

She stood up after Draco's moans went lesser. "He'll be fine now. We should Obliviate him."

"Wait, no."

The voice was neither Harry's nor Ron's, but Draco's. "I can explain everything. Just… let me."

Harry's wand was at Draco's throat before he finished speaking. "Why should we?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth! I want to help you!"

"Get up," said Harry, his wand still pointed at Draco's neck. "Hermione, get your wand out. We'll be interrogating our little visitor before we decide what to do with him."

Draco smiled slyly. "You think you're so brave, Potter? 'Decide what to do with him.' The worst thing you can do is Obliviate me. Why should I be afraid?" But he got up just as well, limping on his other leg.

"Shut up, Malfoy, or we'll stop all this and just hex you back to where you came from," said Ron suddenly, who had stepped out of the trance and whose wand was now pointed at his back, ready to flank Harry. Hermione followed suit, standing beside Ron.

"Walk." Harry nodded in the direction of the tent.

"As you wish, oh Chosen One," Draco muttered, loud enough for his captors to hear, and walked towards the trio's tent.

The four of them entered, the trio's wands still at the ready, and Draco limping inside. "Well this is cosy… and I'll bet that's where Weasel and Granger go shagging all night," said Draco, nodding in the direction of a small couch.

"_Shut up, Malfoy_," Hermione threatened. She looked murderously at Draco, wondering what the best angle for hexing him would be. _I'll bet he'll love to see that beautiful face of his destroyed,_ she thought. _I would._

"Sit, Malfoy," said Harry cocking his head to the direction of the couch Draco just pointed out.

"Sit? Do I look like a dog to you?" Draco did as he was asked though. He sat back and crossed his arms in front of him. "When do I start talking?" he asked conversationally as Harry and Hermione closed in on him.

"Right after we give you this," Hermione said, showing him a vial of potion she conjured out of thin air. "Open up, Malfoy. It's Veritaserum."

Draco showed no sign of resistance as Hermione poured three drops of potion into his mouth.

"Good thinking, Hermione. Alright, talk," said Harry once Draco had finished swallowing.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Everything!" Hermione half-shouted at him. "We want to know why you're going around in the Muggle world like you actually live there, why your Mark has faded, and why you follow me all the way here just to smirk in our faces!"

"I told you, I want my revenge."

"_Revenge_? Do you expect me to believe all you want is revenge, Malfoy?" Hermione's lip trembled. Oh how she hated him! All those years spent at Hogwarts castle trying to evade his remarks about her parentage, and now he comes in and tells her he wants to defy the Dark Lord?

"Is it that impossible to believe that I am a changed man?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A changed man, Malfoy? Do you really believe yourself to be a changed man?" said Harry. "You seem the same to me."

"That's because you're prejudiced. You think I'm not capable of change? I've been defying the Dark Lord since I stepped out of his society."

Harry's wand went further down his throat. "If you really are a changed man, then why don't I see it?"

Draco laughed slyly, his Adam's apple bobbing against the pressure of the wand on his throat. "Just because I've changed, that doesn't mean I'm nicer. I'm still the Slytherin you once knew, just less evil."

"If, after a few eons of years, you decide to talk, maybe we'll let you know if we want you with us," Ron suddenly said. He had remained silent throughout the entire discourse, or rather bicker, Hermione had almost forgotten he was there.

"Wait." Harry was having an epiphany, a memory dawning on him. "After Dumbledore had died, word got out that _you_ had died. Why is that and why are you here fully alive?"

"I didn't kill Dumbledore. Snape did—"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Hermione cut in.

"Will you _shut up_ _and listen to me?_ You're the one who wanted me to answer your stupid questions, so shut your trap and listen!

"As I was saying. Snape killed Dumbledore. After that, I wasn't sure I'd still live – I knew _he_ would punish me severely. But Snape told me that the Dark Lord was intending to kill, not just punish. He devised a plan to fake my death in order to save me – after all, he _did_ make the Unbreakable Vow and he had to protect me.

"It was all a blur afterwards. All of a sudden, he'd given me the house he grew up in and all the things I'd need, and we stopped correspondence after that. A few months later, I found out that my mother and Snape were dead, and I knew at once that the Dark Lord had killed them."

Draco took a deep breath. "And now I want my revenge."

Harry and the other to stared back at him, whether with indignation, disbelief or pity, Draco didn't know. After a few moments, he realized they hadn't spoken yet.

"Well?"

"Your story… it fits. But then this could all be a plot to get us. How do we know you're speaking the truth?" Harry asked in an unsure voice.

"I'm already under Veritaserum, what else do you want?" Draco demanded. "This whole interrogation is pointless if you're not going to believe me. You can torture me or put me under more potion; I'll still say the same things!"

"He has a point, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "How did Snape fake your death, Malfoy?"

"He made a potion. Snape devised it as a backup plan; he knew I was going to fail. The potion, once drunk, would stop one's heart and would give the illusion that the drinker was dead. Within the next half hour after the potion's intake, the antidote must be drunk, or else the heart would stop permanently."

Ron grunted in response. "Pity it didn't though."

"If it weren't for me, Weasel, your girlfriend would have died on the spot. Did you know the pub was being watched, and two ex-Walpurgis Knights just saw you there, Granger?" Draco nodded in Hermione's direction, and watched with satisfaction as the brunette's eyes widened in terror.

"What the hell are Walpurgis Knights?" Ron demanded.

"They're the old name for _his_ followers, Ron. That was believed to be the name they used back when Grindelwald was in power," Hermione explained. She turned to Draco. "If two of them were there at the pub, how come they never entered or attacked when they saw me outside?"

"They thought they were too good to be guarding Muggle pubs, much less enter it. Prejudice, as always. It's pathetic, if you ask me. When you came out the door, they just left. I managed to distract you long enough for them to leave and you get away scot-free."

Hermione was dumbfounded. Had this platinum-blond boy she considered to be her enemy just helped her out of a life-death situation she hadn't anticipated? The words 'thank' and 'you' were already rolling on the tip of her tongue when Draco suddenly spoke up, the ever-present smirk playing on his lips.

"Don't I get a word of thanks?"

_You were, had your arrogance not ruined the moment!_ Hermione gritted her teeth angrily. Since birth, her parents had always taught her to say thanks to counter any good act. This time, she wanted to hex herself into Hogsmeade and back for even considering saying 'thank you' to Malfoy. Not even if he was saving her neck.

"No, you do not, you slick arrogant git!" she spat at him. Hermione turned away from Draco and crossed her arms in front of her chest like a child about to throw a horrible tantrum.

"So, what do we do with you now, eh? Should we just Obliviate you or hex you back to wherever the hell you came from?" Ron mused.

"What about I turn you into a weasel, Weasel?"

"You said you had a house. Where is it, and how do we know the Death Eaters aren't there?" asked Harry. Throughout the discourse, his wand had eventually left Draco's throat, but still pointed at him, poised for attack.

"It's in Hexham, I could tell you the address; I'm Secret Keeper. It's got wards and all. I've been hiding there for over a year, and no one ever came. It's about the safest place there is. You can live there, you know." He let the bait hang there, lingering in the air like the tempting aroma of hundred-year-old mead.

The trio looked at each other uneasily. If there was anything they needed really badly right now, it was a place to stay. Winter had come to England, and they simply had no shelter for the coming onslaught. They knew it was going to be hard going, and had prepared for the worst, but here they were, being offered a house.

Draco, on the other hand, felt triumphant. He'd struck a nerve, given them what they needed, and there was no way they could refuse now.

"Well, we _do_ need shelter," Hermione said quietly, voicing her thoughts aloud unconsciously.

"My thoughts exactly… hm…" said Harry. He turned to Malfoy, his wand still raised.

"I think, Malfoy, you've found yourself a substantial argument."

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><p><strong>AN: **I couldn't help it. Here's Chapter 1.


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